In some networking environments, the operational status of a network connection between ports of two network elements is monitored and maintained via periodically transmitted status messages. At predetermined intervals, one or both network elements transmits a status message from one port to the corresponding port of the network element on the other end of the network connection. Upon receiving the status message, the network element continues to maintain the corresponding port. Failure to receive a status message for a particular network connection using a particular port signals the network element that the port may no longer be required, and the network element may direct resources to other ports.
Virtual networking allows configurable network elements to define virtual ports according to the current needs of the networking environment. As the number and configuration of network connections within the network environment changes, each network element allocates resources to maintaining virtual ports that support the current configuration. Two network elements may support a variable number of network connections between the two physical network devices through a variable number of virtual ports.